How To Avoid Gum Irritation When Whitening Your Teeth

Yellow teeth are just not savory to look at. Before you have a chance to even speak, your teeth might set your audience against you. Thankfully, there are many options on the market for whitening your teeth. While any of these options can be effective given enough time, not all of them are comfortable to use. Choosing which option is right for your mouth will depend on how much time you have and which option does not hurt your teeth.

Carbamide Peroxide Gel

Many whiteners depend on hydrogen peroxide breaking down to release oxygen, and it is this oxygen that bleaches your teeth. Many whiteners will use carbamide peroxide gel, which breaks down into urea and hydrogen peroxide before releasing oxygen to whiten your teeth. While these gels are effective given enough time, you want to be careful that they don't make contact with your gums because the ammonia can irritate gums. 

Whitening Paint

Unlike carbamide peroxide gels, which sit in trays, whitening paints allow you to coat your teeth directly with a paint. If the tray system tends to hurt your teeth, painting whiteners onto your teeth can give you more control. Just as effective as the trays, paints will help you to avoid gum pain as long as you use only a little bit of paint on the brush at a time. If you use too much paint, it can be hard to get the control and precision you need to avoid gum contact, which will lead to pain.

Whitening Guns

Light can help to promote the break down of hydrogen peroxide, which in turn will help to bleach your teeth quicker than other systems. You can buy whitening guns similar to what you might find at a dentist's office, and while light guns are more expensive than other options, they can whiten relatively painlessly in just a couple of days. 

Rather than make a choice for whitening your teeth simply based on which option costs the least, you should consider what effect each option will have on your teeth and gums. Any time you use whitening products at home, you risk pain and/or gum damage. If any of the above-described options hurt your teeth or gums, stop using them. If you have a deft hand and find a product that works well with your teeth, you can avoid this pain. On the other hand, you will get the best results by going to dental professionals, like George S Cochran DDS. They will have training and professional-grade equipment, which can help to provide better and quicker results than you can get at home.